Panjim (Goa): Delhi’s air pollution crisis has reached alarming proportions. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) released pollution readings that had gone missing from several monitoring stations during the night, according to a report published by The New Indian Express (TNIE) on November 9. And while residents struggle to breathe, the political conversation has been crowded with finger-pointing, rose-water remedies and claims that firecrackers cure diseases. The DPCC released the missing AQI readings in Delhi on Diwali night at around 8 pm on November 9. It showed that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations at Mundka reached 3,744 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) at 2 am on November 9. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) recorded 3,023 µg/m³ at 4 am, while Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT)’s West Campus registered 3,008 µg/m³ at 5 am.The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that 24-hour average PM2.5 concentrations should not exceed 15 µg/m³, while the annual average should remain below 5 µg/m³.By comparison, India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set considerably higher permissible limits of 60 µg/m³ for a 24-hour period and 40 µg/m³ annually.Against India’s 24-hour standard, the PM2.5 reading of 3,744 µg/m³ recorded at Mundka was more than 62 times the prescribed limit. To put this into perspective, imagine India’s permissible PM2.5 limit as a glass filled to the brim. The pollution recorded at Mundka was equivalent to stacking more than 62 such glasses on top of one another. However, this is an hourly reading, whereas the national standard applies to a 24-hour average. Speaking with The Wire, Suresh Jain, professor of Air Pollution and Health at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati said the reported concentrations are extremely alarming. “Such extreme episodic exposure is a serious public-health concern,” he said. “Immediate effects may include eye and throat irritation, coughing, breathing difficulty, asthma attacks and exacerbation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, including increased risks of cardiac events.” When pollution data disappears, so does accountabilityAccording to the TNIE report, 11 DPCC monitoring stations recorded concentrations above 2,000 µg/m³. More disturbingly, all 125 station-hour readings missing from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s records were above 1,000 in the DPCC data.But even these figures were not the highest reported during the period. In a separate report published by The Times of India (ToI) on November 10, Jahangirpuri recorded an hourly PM2.5 concentration of 4,985 µg/m³ at 6 pm and 8 pm on Diwali according to DPCC real-time air quality data. The report said it shot up again at 8 am the following morning, making Jahangirpuri the most polluted location in the city on both days.The ToI report also pointed to a discrepancy in the readings. The DPCC subsequently changed its data, showing a peak PM2.5 concentration of 776 µg/m³ at Jahangirpuri at midnight on Diwali. The difference between the figures raises further questions about how pollution readings were recorded, updated and reported during the period of peak pollution.Also read: Diwali Night at AIIMS Delhi: 42 Burn Cases, 110 Eye Injuries, a ‘Critical’ 8-Year-Old, Long QueuesThe gaps in monitoring data may also have affected Delhi’s official citywide Air Quality Index (AQI). A separate ToI analysis of CPCB’s hourly data found that 12 monitoring stations had missing readings for nine hours or more, making them ineligible for inclusion in the daily average AQI calculation.Using readings before and after the outages to estimate the missing data, the newspaper calculated that the average AQI across these 12 stations could have been around 403. More significantly, it estimated that Delhi’s official average AQI of 344 on Monday could have exceeded 370 if the missing readings had been accounted for. These are estimates based on extrapolation, not actual recorded AQI figures.These monitoring gaps are not insignificant. According to an analysis previously reported on by The Wire and conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), 36 of Delhi’s 59 monitoring stations were not reporting readings at 1 am.As per Jain, the missing air-quality data during the Diwali-night pollution raises serious concerns regarding the transparency and reliability of the monitoring and reporting system. “The subsequently released DPCC observations, indicating hourly PM2.5 concentrations of approximately 3,700–4,000 µg/m³ at some locations, warrant a detailed technical investigation,” he said. “CPCB and DPCC should transparently explain the reasons for the missing observations and any discrepancies between their reporting systems. Independent technical verification and complete disclosure of monitoring data are essential to maintain public confidence and ensure informed public-health decisions,” he added.Recycled excusesAs per the TNIE report, a government official attributed the problem to technical glitches and said the monitoring stations were providing hourly data. The explanation, however, does little to settle the questions surrounding why so many PM2.5 readings disappeared precisely when pollution was at its worst. This is not the first time the systems have “glitched”. As per a report by NDTV, last year too, pollution readings went missing and it was attributed to glitches in the system. Pollution data is the basis on which governments declare emergencies, impose restrictions and evaluate whether policies are working. And yet, amid a public-health crisis of this scale, the political response has been depressingly predictable.Based on the public statements and reports reviewed, neither Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav nor Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa have publicly addressed the missing Diwali-night monitoring data or the questions raised by the reports.Instead, in a post on social media platform X, Sirsa shared a video circulated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Delhi unit, using AI-generated imagery to depict former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj and Punjab’s chief minister Bhagwant Mann burning crop stubble, effectively portraying them as responsible for Delhi’s pollution and calling it “a conspiracy to tarnish Delhi’s reputation.”India needs politicians who believe in scienceAs per this report by The Telegraph, West Bengal’s municipal affairs and urban development minister, Agnimitra Paul announced that rose water would be mixed with the water used for mist spraying at various locations in Kolkata during special occasions and festivals.According to her Facebook post, the existing water-misting exercise was intended to help control dust particles and improve air quality. Adding rose water, she said, would help control dust while spreading a “pleasant fragrance” around the city.If the rose-water proposal sounds bizarre, consider the remarks made by BJP’s Tollygunge MLA Papiya Adhikari.According to ToI, Adhikari claimed at a Kali Puja inauguration that bursting firecrackers could cure several diseases.Also read: Sixty-Six Times the WHO Limit; 42% of Readings Missing: Delhi’s Toxic Air Has a Data Problem, AgainWhen faced with backlash, she defended the underlying belief by stating that grandparents and elders always said firecrackers killed germs and viruses. She later apologised, acknowledging that such traditional beliefs were not appropriate in an age of scientific progress.Speaking about how damaging it is when elected representatives make scientifically unsupported claims, Jain said, “Scientifically unsupported statements by elected representatives are deeply concerning, as they can mislead the public and undermine evidence-based policymaking.”According to Jain, Delhi has one of the country’s most extensive networks of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS). However, the presence of monitoring stations has not, by itself, translated into sustained improvements in air quality.“The priority must now shift towards measurable emission reductions at source. Governments should identify sector-wise priorities across transport, industries, power generation, construction and road dust, waste management and biomass burning, with clearly defined reduction targets, time-bound milestones, dedicated implementation responsibilities and accountability mechanisms,” Jain said. He also stressed that progress should be assessed through actual reductions in emissions, rather than simply counting monitoring stations or control measures put in place. A coordinated approach across the entire air shed, he argued, is essential to achieve lasting improvements in air quality.